five times ladybug and chat noir missed each other-
by star.everlasting
Summary: -and one time they didn't.


HI, MIRACULOUS FANDOM! I've been part of this fandom for MONTHS, and this is my first fic for the fandom...shame on me, haha. It's almost my first time doing one of these 5+1 drabbles, but I love them to death :) this plot bunny kind came to me as I was driving to work this morning, and well, when inspiration hits, it hits, and I got it done in an hour.

It's so nice to meet you all :) hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Miraculous Ladybug.

* * *

In one universe, they had it all.

A wonderful married life, stable jobs, three kids and a hamster- everything that she had ever wanted for them. And at night, when their kids went to bed, they protected the city of Paris together, each move synchronized perfectly from years of fighting together, each attack carefully coordinated and executed. They never found Hawkmoth, but as time went by, the akuma became less and less until one day, they stopped completely. This was the world they dreamed of, hoped for, fought for. This was the world their kids would grow up in; they would be safe, and would never have to face the freedom ( _and horrors, dear Lord, they had both lost count of the endless screaming nights where they would wake the other up only to remind them it was nothing more than a dream, the nightmares that plagued them even in the day_ ) that came with being a masked superhero.

And, well, if the kids came home from school one day and found their parents sitting together on the kitchen floor in tears, their mother rubbing her earlobes where her earrings once- always- sat and their father holding her, his right hand bare of his usual silver ring clenching and unclenching, well, the kids just joined in the huddle and chalked it up to a bad day.

* * *

In one universe, he left Paris.

Driven by the pressures of his father, of the lack of faith in his own self-worth after his mother disappeared and a cold home, he was convinced that Ladybug didn't need him. He was the one always possessed by akuma; he was her shield, but she had proven time and again that she didn't actually need him there, not really. Despite her constant assurances that _yes, Chat, I_ do _need you, we're a team, I can't do this without you_ \- he couldn't stay. He took off his ring, the first and last time in years, and decided to never return.

Nearly two years later, he received a voicemail.

"Y _o, Adrien, give me a call as soon as you can. It's...important._ "

He didn't tell Nino that his voice sounded all muffled or stuffed up, as if he was sick, as if he had been crying, didn't tease him good-naturedly as they did all the time, because Nino had called to let him know that Marinette Dupain-Cheng was dead, caught in the akuma attack, and then there was the one sentence that had undone his entire world- she was Ladybug.

* * *

In one universe, they never found each other.

Ladybug and Chat Noir never revealed their identities, not when Ladybug was so adamant about it. And when it was time to give up their Miraculous, they didn't have a chance to tell the other, let them know who they were before Tikki and Plagg were gone. They went through so, so much regret, countless sleepless nights alone without their kwamis snuggled up against their faces, endless nightmares that came and went, and most of all, endless days carrying the weight of their biggest secret without their partner and best friend to share it with. They wondered, never stopped wondering who their (quite literally, as Tikki and Plagg had told them) other half was.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng continued to rise in the fashion industry, becoming a well-renowned designer. Adrien Agreste continued to model on the side, focused on his students as a high school physics teacher.

The two of them met again, years later at a _Gabriel Agreste_ event and reconnected, with them eventually dating and getting married.

She never told him her biggest secret, her screams now silent as she wakes at night in a cold sweat. He had gotten to the point where he didn't toss and turn whenever he had a nightmare of days long past. They never told the other, out of guilt betraying their ex-partner ( _partner, partner, they would remind themselves- no matter what happened to them or if they ended up with someone else, they would always be partners, even if they couldn't find each other_ ) and closest friend, something only the other understood, and, because, well- there was no reason to. There was no more Miraculous, no more Hawkmoth, no more need for Ladybug and Chat Noir, no more need to sneak out at night to save Paris. It was an unspoken part of their marriage, the inability to tell the person they loved the most.

* * *

In one universe, they've defeated Hawkmoth.

But there's no cry of 'Miraculous Ladybug!' after, no Miraculous Cure at the end of the battle. Tikki and Plagg were gone, being the keys to recovering Nooroo so that he could rest, and locking away Hawkmoth's power. And that's how she found herself in the heavy Parisian rain, the water dripping down the ends of her dark blue hair and onto the pale face of her partner she held in her arms.

" _You stupid cat, why didn't you move_?!" she screamed at him, trying everything she could to stop the horrific bleeding, despite the fact that the steel rod had very clearly punctured something in his abdomen. She couldn't move him, not without her powers, and even if she could, she was afraid she would jostle something and make it worse.

Adrien Agreste's smile only seemed to grow bigger. "Anything for M'Lady," he replied, his voice weak and breathy. She fought against the tears that mixed with the cold rain running down her face.

"Just hold on, help is coming," she pleaded desperately, praying that someone, anyone would have noticed their two broken heroes in the aftermath of the battle. "You said you would always be there for me, so don't you dare leave now, you hear me?!" She shook his shoulder when she saw his eyes drooping.

His green eyes looked tired, so tired. "Anything…for you, Marine…"

He didn't get to finish his sentence.

* * *

In one universe, she gave up her Miraculous.

Even though Tikki had told her that she was Chosen, that she was more than worthy, she couldn't do it. Marinette slipped the earrings into Alya's backpack the next chance she got, and a new Ladybug hit the scene not two days later. If Chat Noir was upset that she decided she couldn't shoulder the weight of being a superhero, she wouldn't know- she avoided him like the plague, for fear of the disappointment she might see in his electrifying green eyes.

* * *

 **+1**

In one universe, they never had to be alone.

Green sparks faded and the pink light shimmered into nothingness, and yet, she hesitated to open her eyes.

"Marinette."

His voice was full of warmth and wonder, the same tone she had always heard from her partner, and yet, it sounded different this time.

"Marinette, open your eyes."

He was the one person she trusted with her life, with everything she had, and so that's exactly what she did. It was the most agonizingly slow moment she had ever experienced, but when she realized who was standing in front of her, she choked back a sob.

"Hi, Kitty."

How had they never noticed that one of their best friends had been right there with them, next to them, fighting with them all along? With a smile, he held his hand out to her and she rushed forward without hesitation, throwing herself at him and they held each other tightly, fitting together like a puzzle piece as they had done before so many times in and out of battle. They coiled tight around each other, taking in all the wonders, the realizations, all at once.

"I'm so glad it's you, Adrien," she said softly, her voice muffled through his shirt. He chuckled, dropping a kiss on her forehead.

"I had my suspicions. I'm glad it's you too, My Lady."

She pushed away from him just enough to stare incredulously at him. "What do you mean suspicions?"

"Well…" he started, a blush growing on his cheeks. "I mean. Things just started adding up. You always missing during akuma attacks. All those bad excuses, the late nights, and- honestly, this was pretty funny to see- your instinctive reactions to me as Adrien when I was doing something Chat would do. They were the same."

Rolling her eyes, she snuggled back into the warmth of his sweater-covered arms. "Stupid cat."

" _Okay_ ," a new voice said as a black blur flew into view, followed closely by a red one. The two kwamis floated side by side, Marinette getting a good look at the cat kwami for the first time. "Now that the sappy reveal is over, can I have some Camembert now?"

" _Plagg_!" Tikki hissed, smacking the back of his head with her paw.

Marinette giggled as Adrien sighed. "And just for that," he said. "You can wait for your stinky cheese."

As if on cue, Tikki then proceeded to drag Plagg away, chirping rather angrily as she did so. Marinette poked his stomach, feeling the hard muscle underneath.

"You're really going to make him wait?" she asked. "I usually have a few cookies for Tikki in my purse."

"Plagg's a pig," Adrien mumbled tiredly, his arms still not letting her go. "M'gonna stay here for a while."

Marinette giggled. She didn't mind in the slightest.


End file.
